KiiwiThock alternative for Mac: Kiiwi vs Thock
Updated October 2026. Prices and features checked against each app's Mac App Store listing.
Thock is a mechanical keyboard sound app on the Mac App Store, released in January 2026 by Alan Agon. Like Kiiwi, it plays real switch recordings from the menu bar as you type, and it's $4.99. This page compares it with Kiiwi. (There are also free, open-source projects on GitHub with a similar name. This page is about the App Store app.)
Here's the honest comparison, written by the person who makes Kiiwi.
The short answer
- Choose Thock if you want an App Store app, you're on macOS 13 Ventura, or you like its snooze, custom hotkey and output device picker.
- Choose Kiiwi if you want a library of 32 named switches you can hear in your browser before you pay, mouse click and scroll sounds, or typing stats.
Kiiwi vs Thock at a glance
| Kiiwi | Thock | |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard sounds | 32 named switches, 38 recordings | Curated switch profiles (Cherry and Gateron, with and without keycaps, and more) and some one-shot sounds. Total not stated |
| How the sounds are made | Real recordings, each keyboard row recorded separately | "Real high fidelity audio from real switches" |
| Spatial audio | Yes, placed by key position | Not stated |
| Key-up sounds | Yes, on 22 of 38 recordings | Yes, with a release sound setting |
| Mouse click sounds | 8 packs, plus scroll wheel ticks | Not stated |
| Typing stats | Daily keys, streaks, best WPM, top apps, share cards | Not stated |
| Extras | Hear every switch in the browser, off from anywhere with ⇧⌘K | Deeper spacebar sound, 15 minute snooze, custom hotkey, choose the audio output device, launch at login |
| Try before you buy | Every switch plays in your browser | Not stated |
| Price | $4.99 once for the first 100 buyers, then $6.99 | $4.99 |
| Where to buy | kiiwi.app | Mac App Store |
| macOS | 14 Sonoma or later | 13 Ventura or later |
The switches
Thock's App Store listing names Cherry and Gateron profiles, including versions with keycaps and bare, and says there are more, plus some fun one-shot sounds. It doesn't give a total.
Kiiwi names every one of its 32 switches and has 38 recordings, because several are recorded more than one way, stock and lubed, or on ABS and PBT keycaps. There are linears, tactile switches and clicky ones, from the Cherry MX Red, Brown and Blue to the Holy Panda, Topre and the buckling spring of an IBM Model M. Each has a page where you can type on it and compare it with its closest rivals.
How they sound
Both apps play on key down and on key up, and both say their sounds come from real switches.
On the recordings, Kiiwi records the number, top, home and bottom rows separately, the way a real board sounds slightly different across its rows. Every sample is trimmed so the sound lands with your finger, each key picks one of five pitch variants so a long sentence never sounds like one sample on repeat, and the sound is placed left to right by where the key sits.
Thock describes ultra low latency, a deeper spacebar sound you can turn on, and control over the volume and the release sound.
The best way to choose is to listen. Type in the playground on Kiiwi's homepage, or open any switch to type on it.
Beyond the keyboard
Kiiwi also plays sounds for your mouse and trackpad: 8 click packs and scroll wheel ticks. It counts your typing (keys per day, streaks, your best WPM over a full minute and the apps you type in most) and turns your week into a share card. It counts how many keys, never which ones.
Thock's listing mentions neither mouse sounds nor stats. Its extras are about control: a snooze for 15 minutes, a hotkey to pause, and a choice of audio output device.
Privacy
Both apps only notice that a key was pressed, never what you type. Thock's listing says it listens to key events to play sounds and does not record, store or transmit keystrokes. Kiiwi sends two things: a licence check and a daily check for updates. Your typing and your stats stay on your Mac. Read exactly what it does on Kiiwi's privacy page.
Price and where to buy
Thock is $4.99 on the Mac App Store. Kiiwi is $4.99 once for its first 100 buyers, then $6.99, sold at kiiwi.app. Neither is a subscription.
Thock installs like any App Store app. Kiiwi downloads from its website and is notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other app.
Which should you pick?
- Pick Thock if you're on macOS 13, prefer the App Store, or want snooze and an output device picker.
- Pick Kiiwi if you want 32 named switches, mouse and scroll sounds, typing stats, or the chance to hear every switch before buying.
Questions
What's the difference between Kiiwi and Thock?
Both play real mechanical switch recordings from the menu bar, with key-up sounds, for $4.99. Kiiwi has 32 named switches in 38 recordings, mouse click and scroll sounds, typing stats and a browser playground. Thock is on the Mac App Store, runs on macOS 13, and has a snooze and an output device picker.
Does Thock have mouse click sounds?
Its App Store listing doesn't mention any. Kiiwi includes 8 mouse click packs and scroll wheel ticks.
Does Kiiwi have the same switches as Thock?
Kiiwi has Cherry MX and Gateron switches too, among 32 in total. Thock doesn't list its full set, so check its listing for the exact sounds.
Does Kiiwi work on macOS 13 Ventura?
No. Kiiwi needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Thock runs on macOS 13.
Can I try Kiiwi before buying?
Yes, and you don't need to download anything. Try how each switch sounds in the playground on the homepage, then open any switch in the switch library to type on it. If it still isn't right for you, Kiiwi has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Thock is a product of its developer, Alan Agon. Kiiwi isn't affiliated with Thock. Details were checked on 8 October 2026 and may have changed since.
Sources: Thock's Mac App Store listing (features, price, macOS requirement, privacy statement).
Hear Kiiwi before you decide
Type on any of the 38 recordings in your browser. No download, no account. Kiiwi needs macOS 14 or later, costs $4.99 once for the first 100 buyers and $6.99 after, and hears that a key was pressed, never what you typed.
Try the switches